Behold the persuasion power of storytelling:
So I was hanging out at a local wine tasting room Sunday here in The Burgle (my all-time favorite Oregon winery, btw, called “TesoAria”), when I got to talking to the guy doing the pours about the movie “Sideways”. It’s a pretty cool movie (even if you hate wine) about a couple middle aged dudes who take a week long trip through California’s wine country.
Anyway, they are about to meet some chicks at a restaurant.
But, before they go in, one of the guys says:
If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!
Believe it or not…
This ONE line in an indie movie with a $12 million budget…
Killed Merlot wine sales!
And I mean, just killed them.
It gave Merlot a terrible stigma.
Made people think it sucks.
And, sales dropped everywhere.
Yes, even in other states.
Example:
The guy at the winery I was hanging at said even in Oregon at their winery, Merlot sales plummeted. But, when they changed the name to something else (didn’t call it it Merlot), sales went back up.
The point?
There are several.
Like, wine snobs are idiots and followers.
Test changing your product’s name if sales die off.
But, most importantly…
The power of stories.
Humans are “hard wired” to be persuaded by stories.
And they can work either for or against you.
So tread carefully…
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Ben Settle
